


Withered

by del_lirious



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Greek AU, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Hades - Freeform, Keith blushes so much, M/M, Mild Self-Hatred, Persephone - Freeform, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), keith just wants to love and be loved, yaboybokuto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-08-30 17:37:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8542561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/del_lirious/pseuds/del_lirious
Summary: Death admired Life from afar, but never went closer, fearing that he would be seen





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Keith: Hades (Death)
> 
> Lance: Persephone (Life)
> 
> Shiro: Zeus (Keith's brother)
> 
> Okay so this is the first thing I have ever written so please be kind. This was inspired by [yaboybokuto's Greek AU](http://yaboybokuto.tumblr.com/tagged/vld+greek+au). You should check out her tumblr and her art because its amazing! Her art inspired me to write this so go thank her haha. This is kind of a teaser because I don't know if I want to add more or just leave it as hopelessly pining keith swooning over beautiful lance. Let me know if you want more I guess. Hope you enjoy!

The first time Death saw Life was during one of the few times he left the Underworld to do business with his brother in the Heavens. To most, it seemed that Death hated leaving his realm of darkness to then dwell amongst the land of the living; on the contrary. For however stoic and disgruntled Death seemed to be, he secretly loved going to the Overworld. He reveled in the bright colors and sensations, so different from the bleakness of his home underground. But, his joy wouldn’t last long. 

As soon as he took a step above ground, everything that he touched withered. Death learned to live with this burden, as there was no way he could change who he was. He slowly walked through the small forest that surrounded the entrance to the Underworld, leaving a trail of withered grass behind him. He reached the edge of the trees and just as he was about to step out into the large field of flowers, he spotted a bright light emanating from the center of the field. Being the curious person he was, Death decided to climb the nearest tree to get a better look at the light. As he climbed, the leaves crumbled and turned to dust in the breeze and the bark lost its healthy brown color, replaced with a scorched black. This did not give Death enough cover, so he shrouded himself in shadows to stay hidden. From his vantage point, Death could see that the bright light took on the form of a man, who was kneeling in the grass picking flowers. After a few minutes, the man stood, flowers in hand, and turned towards where Death was hiding. As soon as he turned, Death became short of breath at the pure beauty of this creature. 

The man was very tall, with broad shoulders and a trim waist leading down to long smooth legs. He was wearing a sheer cream colored cape with an, equally sheer, blue embroidered tunic underneath, which complimented his tan skin nicely. It reached about mid thigh in the front, but had a long train held up by flowers in the back. His feet were bare, but his sandals were lying off to the side next to a basket of flowers. The man had the bluest eyes that Death had ever seen and short chestnut hair that looked soft to the touch, even from far away. The most striking part of his appearance, however, was the flower crown that seemed to grow from the sides of his head. It was made of beautiful red, pink, and blue flowers with small budding branches pointing vertically up. Death could tell it was no ordinary crown by the way it seemed to shake and grow even fuller when the man looked up and smiled at the sky. 

Death was immediately captivated by this heavenly being, wanting to know everything about him, to have him be his and his alone. The stranger stood there for a while just basking in the suns rays and Death was content to watch him from the shadows. A few moments later, the man put on his shoes, picked up his basket of flowers, and walked away until he disappeared into the other end of the forest, leaving a trail of blooming flowers in his wake. As soon as he was gone, Death removed himself from the shadows and climbed down the tree one branch at a time until he reached the ground. In the back of his mind, he remembered that he still needed to go to his brother, but the beautiful man who embodied life itself would not leave his mind. 

He carved an ashy path through the field of flowers to where the man had been standing and stopped a few feet away, not wanting to disturb the flowers that blossomed there. Death reached down and plucked a single pink flower from the ground. As he expected, it shriveled up and lost it soft color, turning into a faded grey. Death cradled the flower to his chest and stroked its withered petals wishing that he had the power to keep it alive or that the beautiful man would come back and help him bring it back to life…

As soon as that thought came, it left his mind. Death was surprised at his own foolishness; why would a creature of light and life want to be seen with a monster like him? Death never thought highly of himself. How could he? Being who he was, he could only take from others. He didn’t possess the power to give back and it frustrated him to the point of intense self-hatred. Death shook his head vigorously, how dare he think that the embodiment of life itself could treat him with kindness and show him how to love. He gripped the flower tighter; that man deserved someone as vibrant as him who could give him love and affection and praise and comfort and...all the things he didn’t know how to give. 

He abruptly turned his back to the patch of full-blossomed flowers and slowly began his long journey to see his brother. He would try to forget about the beautiful stranger, as hopelessly pining after him would get him nowhere and only cause him more despair than normal. Still, he tucked the withered flower into the left side of his shirt, directly against his heart. No one said that Death couldn’t want love and happiness, but is it possible for Life to love Death?


	2. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death and Life finally meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well you guys wanted more, so I granted your wishes! This is a little bit longer than the first chapter, but I don't think you guys will mind haha. I don't know how many chapters I'm going to make this, so stay posted! Enjoy ^^
> 
> Check out my main blog and my side blog!
> 
> Main blog: [del-lirious](http://del-lirious.tumblr.com/)  
> Side blog: [smoll-sons](http://smoll-sons.tumblr.com/)

That first encounter with the beautiful stranger had been two months ago, and Death still had not forgotten about him. 

After he had left the field of flowers, he traveled to his brother’s home in the Heavens to attend a meeting with the high gods. There was a hierarchy of gods and goddesses and Death’s brother was the ruler of them all. Most humans called him Zeus, but Death knew him as Shiro, meaning “white”. He had given his brother this nickname, because of his pure personality and bright white robes. 

Even though they were brothers, Shiro was the complete opposite of Death in almost every way. He lived in the clouds surrounded by stars, sparkling waterfalls, and warm sunshine. He had a wife, Allura, that completely adored him and in turn, he treated her like the queen she was. Shiro was also very attractive with a well-toned body, a dazzling smile, and unique two-toned hair that was mostly covered by a silver circlet in the shape of olive branches. Not only was he good looking on the outside, but his heart was just and forgiving. All in all, Shiro was the ideal man and everything Death was not. 

It may sound like Death was envious of his brother, but he respected him immensely and was genuinely happy that Shiro had such a positive existence. Though he was jealous of one thing: Shiro’s ability to find love so easily. Yes, his brother and sister-in-law loved Death endlessly, but he had never known the romantic love that only a beloved could give him. Shiro constantly told him that he would find someone who could share this sacred love that Death yearned for. It was such a cliché line, that Death brushed off his advice with a fake, but convincing, smile and thanked his brother for the advice. Shiro saw through his façade, but said nothing, only resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

After the meeting was over, Death left the Heavens and walked the long way back to Underworld, wanting to stay in the Overworld just a little longer. He walked through the forest, head down, admiring the plants and flowers before they turned to ash under his feet. He came to the edge of the flower field, looked up, and what he saw made his heart stop.

Death didn’t like to believe fate, but at this moment he felt he could allow some lenience on his beliefs. Standing a few feet away from him was the one person he thought he would never see again. The man still wore the beautiful sheer garments and the colorful flowers surrounding him seemed to bring out his blue eyes and tan skin even more. Wait…why were the man’s eyes directed towards him? Oh. Death noticed that the man was staring him straight on.

At first, he didn’t know what to do. He was frozen in place because the most beautiful man in world noticed him. HIM? No one ever notices Death silently standing in the shadows of his own making. It gave him a slight burst of confidence to meet the man’s gaze. Death registered that the man was not giving him a friendly look; in fact he looked a mix of terrified and confused. He knew he was an ominous looking figure, dressed in blacks and greys with a dash of red and white every now and then, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

With the remaining shreds of his short-lived confidence, Death decided to greet the beautiful stranger. He took a step forward and opened his mouth, and in return, the man’s eyes widened and he took a step back. “Don’t come any closer!” the man said. Death has been thinking about this man for the past two months and the last thing he wanted was to make him fear him. “Please don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you” Death said. The man’s expression turned from frightened to angry in a split second before he said, “I’m not worried about you hurting me, but you are killing everything around you.” 

In the presence of this man, Death had completely forgotten about his withering touch. He took a few steps back into the ashy path he had already created and looked down at the wilted grass in shame. “I-I’m sorry I can’t control this. It’s just who I am.” The man’s eyes, which had been studying him carefully, widened and a look of recognition flew across his face. “You’re Death aren’t you?” Death tore his gaze away from the ground and looked up at the ethereal stranger. “How…how did you know that?” A small smile graced the man’s face, making Death short of breath. “Well, I guess I should be familiar with my counterpart, no?”

At that moment, Death wanted to smack himself in the face for his sheer stupidity and ignorance. He only heard of Life in passing, but never met him in person so it makes sense that he did not recognize him. “You’re Life then.” At the mention of his name, the small smile Life wore turned into a full-blown grin and more flowers bloomed on his crown. Death wanted to always see that happy expression on his face and swore to himself that he would do whatever it takes to make that possible.

“So,” Life’s smooth voiced pulled him out of his thoughts, “do you go by the name Death or can I call you something else?” Even though he had given Shiro his nickname, he never got one in return. Not because his brother didn’t care enough to give him one, but he was the literal embodiment of death so why go by any other name? “I am Death, I don’t have another name.” 

“Wow, do you always speak so formally? Lighten up man, you sound so weird.” Life chuckled, amused at how stuffy Death seemed to be. “I don’t sound weird,” Death huffed, smoky cloak ruffling with his movement, “I don’t normally talk to people, let alone strangers I’ve just met.”

“Well let’s change that! You already know that I’m Life, but I’m also known as Lance.” Life, or Lance rather, waved his hand awkwardly at Death and gestured for him to introduce himself. “Why would I introduce myself again? It’s pointless.” Death couldn’t understand this man. “And why Lance?”

“Well,” Lance sat down in the field and gestured for Death to do the same, “you might as well get comfortable if I’m going to tell you the reason behind my name because I tend to ramble.” Death gingerly sat down in the withered patch of grass, making sure to ruin any of the green grass around it, earning a grateful smile from Lance.

Lance took a deep breath and began speaking. “I’ve always lived in the Overworld, watching over the creatures and mortals that dwell here. I mostly stayed within this field and the forest surrounding it, as there are no people for miles. It’s a quiet sanctuary that I can always return to. Obviously, being Life, I have take care of my surroundings. I love chatting with the birds, learning how they are doing and if something needs my attention. Living in the forest, I rarely come across mortals, but I’ve always wanted to have relations with them. It made sense that if I ever needed to interact with mortals or at least be in the presence of them, I would need a second name and a disguise. I can’t just waltz into a town looking like me and say, “hey I’m the god of life!” that would be suicide! Don’t get me wrong, I love the praise and shrines they build for me, but being with them in the flesh, I wouldn’t have anytime to myself. So, I decided to make a pseudonym for myself, and I chose the name Lance because it’s a very popular name in the town outside of the forest. I hope to one day travel into town using a glamour and attend the summer festival. The birds always tell me how much fun the mortals have celebrating.” During his speech, he had begun to pick flowers and make a small bouquet. Death liked listening to him ramble and was captivated by the way his large hands delicately placed each flower into the bouquet.

It was silent for a few moments, then Lance suddenly looked up at Death and grinned. “Considering you don’t have a mortal name, would you like me to give you one?” Death was taken aback by his offer and opened and closed his mouth a few times. Finally, he said, “If that would amuse you.” 

Lance put down the half-finished flower crown and put his hand to his chin, feigning deep thought. Death took this time to study his face. There was a small crease between his brow and his lips puckered up. All in all, his thinking face was completely adorable and Death felt a new sensation wash over his cheeks. 

He was _blushing_. The god of death, who put fear into the hearts of men and brought people despair, was blushing like a newly wed bride. This didn’t sit right with him, so he quickly put his head down in hopes that Lance hadn’t noticed his red cheeks.

Unfortunately for Death, Lance did. And damn it all if it wasn’t cute.

Lance thought for a few more minutes then promptly clapped his hands, startling Death in the process. “I’ve got it!” he said, “your new name is Keith.” “Keith?” Death was a little put off by the mediocre sounding name. Lance smiled, “Keith means ‘dwells in the woods’. Since I saw you coming out of the woods, I thought it would be fitting.” Death, or Keith now, was flattered Lance put so much thought into choosing his name and his cheeks reddened.

There was that adorable blush again. Lance felt his own cheeks grow warm.

When Lance first saw Keith standing at the edge of the flower field, he didn’t recognize him. It took him a minute to figure it out, but when he did (lets be honest the ashy cloak and skull plate on his belt were a dead giveaway), he was confused. 

What was Keith doing roaming about the Overworld, shouldn’t he be doing death related things? Another emotion that plagued him was anger. How dare Keith go walking around his forest destroying the plant life that he so carefully maintained and cared for? When he had mentioned this to Keith, Lance was surprised at the apology that spilled from his mouth and the way he seemed to shrink into his smoky cloak. He could see that it bothered Keith, so he decided to drop the sensitive subject and introduce himself instead.

Lance wondered why Keith didn’t recognize him, but then again, they had never met in person. When Keith finally guessed who he was, with Lance’s help of course, he felt an odd happiness bloom in his chest, which caused his crown to flourish even more. 

Sitting down and talking to Keith proved to be an interesting experience. Lance thought that he would feel awkward rambling about his past, but it felt like talking with an old friend rather than someone he just met. Keith was an attentive listener and hummed every now and then to let Lance know he was still listening. It made that odd happiness bubble up in his chest again, so he decided to ask Keith if he wanted another name, like him, and was excited when he agreed. 

Now, with Keith sitting in his ashy patch of grass staring at his hands, Lance took the time to study him. 

Keith was only a few inches shorter than him, so that he was eye level with Lance’s nose. He had a small but well-muscled body, at least from what he could see that wasn’t hidden behind his massive cloak. His skin was lighter than Lances, and seemed to bear no blemishes, only the occasional beauty mark. Keith had coal black hair that was pushed behind his right ear, exposing a couple black earrings, while the other side fell down to his chin. His face was angular with high cheekbones and plump lips. His eyes were a dark purple-almost black color and were surrounded by thick lashes that cast a shadow on his cheeks. Right under his eyes were four black lines, two on each side, Lance wondered if they were makeup or a part of his skin.

He couldn’t see much of his clothes with the large cloak in the way, but what he could see made his pulse pick up slightly. Keith wore a black and form-fitting tunic with a white and red plate over it that fell just past the waistband of his pants. The sleeves were white with a swirling black patterned embroidered on the side. His pants, _gods_ , his pants hugged his legs so nicely, displaying strong thighs, toned calves, and even though they were sitting Lance bet that he had a great ass. The pants were made of dark grey leather with red panels reaching just above his knees and were those chains connecting his tunic to his pants? Lance stifled a giggle. His pants were tucked into knee-high boots of the same material. Last but certainly not least, Keith’s ridiculous cloak. From what Lance saw, it was made out of tangible smoke that billowed around him when he walked. The part that was ridiculous was the bright red feathers (or fur?) that lined his shoulders. This guy really liked to stick to black, red, and grey; Lance figured if your name is Death, you have to stick to darker colors.

After taking in every detail of Keith’s appearance, Lance came to a conclusion: Death was gorgeous. Lance has always considered himself to be quite attractive, I mean have you see him, but Keith was on another level. He had a dark beauty about him, he is the god of death after all. Lance was attracted to not only his physical appearance, but even his little quirks like how he was constantly tucking his hair behind his ear or how he had a habit of biting his plump bottom lip. Lance wondered what it would feel like kiss those bitten lips. A blush rose on his face when he thought this, but he wouldn’t take it back. 

Lance had only just met Keith, but he ached to know him better. It’s been a very long time since he felt the pangs of want tug at his heart, but if Keith was the one to cause it, who was he to complain?


	3. Date Planning and First Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life asks Death out on a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mom, holy fuck, I'm not dead! I am so sorry to keep you guys waiting. I was really busy this past summer with work so I sort of neglected this story and I also had a bit of writers block going into this last chapter. I decided to keep it short and sweet as I'm back at uni and busy as ever. I kind of like having an open ending and leaving the reader to determine how things ended, so I sort of did that. Hope you enjoy and thank you for all the positive feedback! 
> 
> Check out my blogs! (please they're dying)
> 
> Main: [del-lirious](http://del-lirious.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Side: [smoll-sons](http://smoll-sons.tumblr.com/)

It’s been a few years since Life and Death, now Lance and Keith, finally crossed paths. The two gods developed a close friendship, meeting in the flower field almost everyday to talk about anything and everything. Lance made Keith’s world infinitely brighter. 

Besides growing closer mentally, they also grew closer physically. Now, this doesn’t make sense, right? How could Death touch Life without killing him? Keith knew that he destroyed all life he came into to contact with, be it animals or plant life. He never wanted to touch anything he didn’t have to, but something about Lance made him want to run his hands all over the smooth brown skin and card his fingers through his soft hair. Keith knew he could never do such a thing and resigned himself to simply enjoying the tan boy’s company. Lance, however, had other ideas.

_A few months ago, they were relaxing in Lance’s field, Keith sitting up and Lance lying down. They kept a short distance between them for obvious reasons, a.k.a Keith’s death touch, but Lance was sick of having to keep his distance from his best, and admittedly gorgeous, friend. He knew it was because of Keith’s harmful touch, but Lance didn’t care anymore; he wanted to be even closer to the beautiful boy. Lance sat up and turned towards Keith who was looking out at the horizon, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. He slowly and stealthily crept towards Keith, not wanting him to realize what he was doing. When he was about a foot away from Keith, he reached out and touched a lock of his wow super soft hair._

_Keith made a startled noise and whipped his head around to look at Lance while simultaneously grabbing the hand that was touching his hair. Keith’s eyes widened and he quickly dropped Lance’s hand, fearing that he had hurt his friend._

_“I’m so sorry, Lance! I didn’t mean to grab you; you just startled me! Oh please be okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Keith looked stricken with the beginnings of tears already welling in his violet eyes and shaky hands hovering over Lance’s. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the beautiful boy in front of him._

_“Keith, hey its alright, look I’m perfectly fine.” Lance held up his hand and Keith stared in awe, there was not a single streak of decay on his beautiful skin._

_Tears were now falling freely from Keith’s eyes; he just couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Wha…but how? I kill or damage everything I touch; I can’t even touch Shiro without the area turning black! Why is your hand not black?”_

_“To be completely honest with you, I have no idea. For some weird reason, the cosmos has decided that I am not to be affected by your touch.”_

From then on, Keith didn’t have to worry about keeping a distance between him and Lance. At first, he was not completely comfortable touching Lance, but with constant reassurance that he was not hurting him, Keith overcame his fear. The two became even closer once physical touch was added to their relationship.

Back in the present, the two gods were in Lance’s field; him laying his head in Keith’s lap and making a flower crown while Keith ran his fingers through Lance’s hair. Lance stretched out his hand to get a blue flower, but it was out of his reach. So Keith, being the nice friend that he is, grabbed it for him. In an instant, the soft blue petals turned black and disintegrated. Lance let out a long groan and looked up at Keith.

“Can you not burn the flowers I’m using for my flower crown?”

Keith huffed and removed his hand from Lance’s hair. “I’m sorry, I tend to forget about my touch when I’m around you.”

Lance gently placed the small crown of daisies into his basket and lifted his head out of Keith’s lap. He sat directly across from Keith and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I get that you can’t control it, but a little courtesy would be appreciated.”

Keith tore his eyes away from Lance and looked down at the dead foliage under his legs. He brushed his fingers against it and watched as it crumbled and blew away in the soft breeze. He still couldn’t get used killing everything he touched. All he wanted to do was pick that pretty blue flower for Lance’s flower crown; it would’ve totally brought out the blue in his eyes. 

A tinkling noise startled Keith out of his thoughts and he looked up to see a small finch had landed on Lance’s shoulder. The two seemed to be having a conversation, not that Keith could tell, as he couldn’t speak bird. The finch was hopping around excitedly, high-pitched tweets falling from its orange beak as Lance listed with rapt attention. A large grin broke out on his face as he whistled his reply to the finch. It tapped its small beak against Lance’s nose and flew away back to the forest.

Lance watched as the little bird flew away and then turned towards Keith. “Keith, you’ll never guess what happened!”

“Well, seeing as I don’t speak avian language, I can’t guess what happened.”

Lance squinted his eyes at Keith. “ Ha ha very funny, but this is really important!”

Keith stifled a chuckle. “Alright, go on. Tell me this oh so important news.”

A dazzling grin overtook Lance’s face. “A little birdie just told me that the villagers in the next town over are throwing a summer festival! Remember how I said I've always wanted to go to one? Now I finally can!”

Keith groaned and threw some ashy grass at Lance. “You’ve been waiting to use that pun, haven’t you?”

“You bet your fine ass I have.”

Keith’s eyes widened and a red flush crossed his face; Lance really needs to stop saying things like that. As they got closer, Lance got bolder with how he spoke to Keith. He compliments his ass on a daily basis (let’s be real, that booty is fine as hell) and gives him playful slaps whenever Keith bends over. Lance also teases him, mainly about his dreary clothing and his “fabulously flamboyant cloak” as Lance calls it. Keith willed the blush on his face to go away before speaking.

“What’s so important about the summer festival? It’s just a bunch mortals drinking and dancing the night away for some useless holiday.”

Lance pointed a well-manicured finger at Keith’s face. “You are a total buzz kill!”

“Killing is kind of in my nature, you know, being the Lord of the Underworld and all.” Keith deadpanned.

Sputtering, Lance crossed his arms. “There’s no need to get sassy with me! Besides, festivals are supposed to be a time when mortals can relax from their work by drinking and dancing to their hearts content”

“I just don’t get the point of them. Summer comes around every year; it’s not like some special occasion.”

Lance frowned and squinted at Keith, giving him a questioning stare. Then the frown melted into a shit-eating grin as Lance stood up from his spot in the grass. 

“You’ve never been to a festival, have you? Oh you poor unfortunate soul.”

Keith felt his cheeks become hot with embarrassment and he grumbled out a reply.

“I’ve never seen the point in going to one, so I never did. And its not like you've been to one either so you can't make fun of me!”

“Hey, don’t start attacking me! At least I’ve wanted to participate in the festivals instead of brooding by myself all day.”

“I do not brood by myself all day, I have you to annoy me now.” 

Lance huffed and held out his hands for Keith to take. He pulled him up to stand in front of him, still keeping their hands clasped together. “Alright Mr. Sassy-Pants, lets go and pop your festival cherry.”

Keith’s blush intensified as he let go of one of Lance’s hands so he could slap him on the chest. “Lance! Can you not say it like that? It’s weird.”

“Why? Is my little cherry boy embarrassed? Oh come on, it will be fun! Besides, you’re coming with me so I’ll be sure to show you a pleasurable time.” Lance brought Keith closer and waggled his eyebrows.

“Lance!”

“Okay, okay calm down. The festival is in a day so we have time to figure out what we’re gonna wear to disguise ourselves. I have some glamour potions back at my house so I’ll bring them when I come to pick you up.”

Keith’s harsh red blush lessened to a soft pink and he stared at Lance with wide eyes. Lance wanted to take him to the festival? Two immortals amongst hundreds of mortals… like a date? Does Lance want to court him or is he reading this all wrong? All of these questions were swirling around in Keith’s mind, until he remembered one crucial detail.

“You’re going to take me to the festival? Me, the literal embodiment of Death that destroys everything he touches, including mortals? That’s a good idea Lance.”

Lance looked down at their joined hands and let a sultry smile cross his face as he looked as Keith through his lashes.

“Well, just keeps your hands on me, cherry boy.”

“Stop calling me cherry boy!”

Keith’s blush was back full force and he hit Lance’s chest again. Lance laughed and let go of Keith’s hands. 

“I’ll stop calling you that when you stop blushing so much. Seriously, your face is going to turn permanently red! Anyways, I might be able to whip up a potion that can help lessen the effects of your touch. But try your hardest to not to touch anyone or anything while we’re there, okay?”

“That’s easier said than done, Lance” Keith huffed.

Lance walked over to his basket of flowers, picked it up, then came back to stand in front of Keith. He reached up and put a warm hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, don’t freak out about it. Everything is going to be fine. Meet me here in one day so we can disguise ourselves with the glamour and head to the festival together. See you later, Keith!”

“W-wait, Lance!”

Lance turned back towards Keith and gave him a questioning stare.

“What’s up?”

Keith blushed and looked down at the ashy grass surrounding his feet. He wanted to ask his question, just in a not-so blunt way. He realized he didn’t know how to word it, so he decided to just go for it. Keith steeled his nerves and made eye contact with Lance.

“Is this, um…is this a date? Do you want to court me?” Keith stuttered.

Lance looked surprised for all of two seconds before schooling his expression into one of casual indifference. He sauntered back over to Keith and brought their faces close together.

“What if it is? And what if I want to, cherry boy? Got any complaints?” he whispered.

Keith became flustered with their close proximity and the nickname he’d been so _graciously_ given. Like Lance said before, he’s honestly surprised that his face is not permanently red by now. He took a shaky breath and stepped even closer to Lance.

“Well no, I’d be okay with that.”

Keith’s heart hammered in his chest as he looked into those blue eyes. Lance smiled and brushed his thumb and forefinger against Keith’s chin, tilting it up.

“Glad that we’re on the same page.”

And with that, Lance leaned down and brushed their lips together. It was a perfectly innocent kiss, lasting only a few seconds before Lance pulled away to look into Keith's wide eyes. Keith blinked a couple times in rapid succession, brought his hand up and touched his bottom lip, realizing that was his first kiss. He promptly blushed and buried his face in his hands, all the while grinning so widely it felt like his face would split in half. Wow, he really was a cherry boy. 

He was shaken out of his Lance-induced daze by a tinkling sound. He dropped his hands from his still very red face and looked up. There, perched in the branch of the nearest tree, was the finch that Lance was talking to earlier. It seemed to be laughing at him by the way his tweets stuttered out and by the way Lance was stifling his own giggles. It seemed that what the little finch was say was too funny because he couldn't contain himself and let out a loud joyous laugh that shook his shoulders. Keith’s blush grew darker and he whipped around in the opposite direction of the small bird and his friend (lover now?) with a small stomp, cloak fluttering around him.

Lance's laughter eventually died down to let a soft smile grace his face. He put his put his hands on Keith's shoulders and turned him around to face him.

"Aw, there's no need to pout, Keithy-boy. The finch wasn't saying anything mean, just that your face was so red you looked like an oversized pomegranate."

Keith shook Lance's hands off of his shoulders. "What, are you going to start calling me pomegranate boy now?"

"Nah, I think I like cherry boy better."

Keith scrunched up his face, "You are insufferable."

Lance smiled and leaned down to kiss Keith's forehead, smoothing out the wrinkles there. "Yeah, but you're stuck with me."

It sounds strange, but Life was going to be the death of Death. And Death couldn't be happier about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it! This story was so much fun to write. Thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos (on my first story!) it really helped me become more confident in my writing. Again, thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Check out my blogs! (please they're dying)
> 
> Main: [del-lirious](http://del-lirious.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Side: [smoll-sons](http://smoll-sons.tumblr.com/)


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